BARCELONA, Spain (AP) 鈥� Protesters used water pistols against unsuspecting tourists in Barcelona and on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Sunday as demonstrators marched to demand a rethink of an economic model they believe is fueling a and erasing the character of their hometowns.
The marches were part of the first coordinated effort by activists concerned with the across southern Europe's top destinations. While several thousands rallied in Mallorca in the biggest gathering of the day, hundreds more gathered in other Spanish cities, as well as in Venice, Italy, and Portugal's capital, Lisbon.
鈥淭he squirt guns are to bother the tourists a bit,鈥� Andreu Mart铆nez said in Barcelona with a chuckle after spritzing a couple seated at an outdoor caf茅. 鈥淏arcelona has been handed to the tourists. This is a fight to give Barcelona back to its residents.鈥�
Mart铆nez, a 42-year-old administrative assistant, is one of a growing number of residents who are convinced that tourism has gone too far in the city of 1.7 million people. Barcelona hosted 15.5 million visitors last year eager to see Antoni Gaud铆鈥檚 La Sagrada Familia and the Las Ramblas promenade.
Mart铆nez says his rent has risen over 30% as more apartments in his neighborhood are rented to tourists for short-term stays. He said there is a knock-on effect of traditional stores being replaced by businesses catering to tourists, like souvenir shops, burger joints and 鈥渂ubble tea鈥� spots.
鈥淥ur lives, as lifelong residents of Barcelona, are coming to an end," he said. "We are being pushed out systematically.鈥�
Around 5,000 people gathered in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, with some toting water guns as well and chanting 鈥淓verywhere you look, all you see are tourists.鈥� The tourists who were targeted by water blasts laughed it off. The Balearic island is a favorite for British and German sun-seekers. It has seen housing costs skyrocket as homes are diverted to the short-term rental market.
Hundreds more marched in Granada, in southern Spain, and in the northern city of San Sebasti谩n, as well as the island of Ibiza.
In Venice, a couple of dozen protesters unfurled a banner calling for a halt to new hotel beds in the lagoon city in front of two recently completed structures, one in the popular tourist destination鈥檚 historic center where activists say the last resident, an elderly woman, was kicked out last year.
鈥楾hat鈥檚 lovely'
Protesters in Barcelona blew whistles and held up homemade signs saying 鈥淥ne more tourist, one less resident.鈥� They stuck stickers saying 鈥淐itizen Self-Defense,鈥� in Catalan, and 鈥淭ourist Go Home,鈥� in English, with a drawing of a water pistol on the doors of hotels and hostels.
There was tension when the march stopped in front of a large hostel, where a group emptied their water guns at two workers positioned in the entrance. They also set off firecrackers next to the hostel and opened a can of pink smoke. One worker spat at the protesters as he slammed the hostel鈥檚 doors.
American tourists Wanda and Bill Dorozenski were walking along Barcelona鈥檚 main luxury shopping boulevard where the protest started. They received a squirt or two, but she said it was actually refreshing given the 83 degree Fahrenheit (28.3 degrees Celsius) weather.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 lovely, thank you sweetheart,鈥� Wanda said to the squirter. 鈥淚 am not going to complain. These people are feeling something to them that is very personal, and is perhaps destroying some areas (of the city).鈥�
There were also many marchers with water pistols who didn't fire at bystanders and instead solely used them to spray themselves to keep cool.
Crackdown on Airbnb
Cities across the world are struggling with how to cope with mass tourism and a boom in short-term rental platforms, like , but perhaps nowhere has surging discontent been so evident as in Spain, where protesters in Barcelona first took to firing squirt guns at tourists during a protest last summer.
There has also been a confluence of the pro-housing and anti-tourism struggles in Spain, whose 48 million residents welcomed in 2024. When in April, some held homemade signs saying 鈥淕et Airbnb out of our neighborhoods.鈥�
Spanish authorities are striving to show they hear the public outcry while not hurting an industry that contributes 12% of gross domestic product.
Last month, Spain鈥檚 government almost 66,000 holiday rentals from the platform that it said had violated local rules.
Spain鈥檚 Consumer Rights Minister shortly after the crackdown on Airbnb that the tourism sector 鈥渃annot jeopardize the constitutional rights of the Spanish people,鈥� which enshrines their right to housing and well-being. Carlos Cuerpo, the economy minister, that the government is aware it must tackle the unwanted side effects of mass tourism.
The boldest move was made by Barcelona's town hall, which stunned Airbnb and other services who help rent properties to tourists by announcing last year the elimination of all in the city by 2028.
That sentiment was back in force on Sunday, where people held up signs saying 鈥淵our Airbnb was my home.鈥�
鈥楾aking away housing鈥�
The short-term rental industry, for its part, believes it is being treated unfairly.
鈥淚 think a lot of our politicians have found an easy scapegoat to blame for the inefficiencies of their policies in terms of housing and tourism over the last 10, 15, 20 years,鈥� Airbnb鈥檚 general director for Spain and Portugal, Jaime Rodr铆guez de Santiago recently told the AP.
That argument either hasn鈥檛 trickled down to the ordinary residents of Barcelona, or isn鈥檛 resonating.
Txema Escorsa, a teacher in Barcelona, doesn鈥檛 just oppose Airbnb in his home city, he has ceased to use it even when traveling elsewhere, out of principle.
鈥淚n the end, you realize that this is taking away housing from people,鈥� he said.
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AP Videojournalist Hern谩n M煤帽oz in Barcelona, and Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Venice, Italy, contributed.
Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
